'03 Accord 2.4 EX long term review: 180k
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Originally Posted By: dja4260
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
My 2012 Accord EX-L V6 has been flawless. Most reliable car I have ever owned by far.
I'd hope that a 2 year old would be performing flawlessly. My buddies 01 Kia rio performed flawless for the first couple of years. Then it started falling apart.....
Big difference in Kia quality and Honda quality....no contest really, especially back then.
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
My 2012 Accord EX-L V6 has been flawless. Most reliable car I have ever owned by far.
I'd hope that a 2 year old would be performing flawlessly. My buddies 01 Kia rio performed flawless for the first couple of years. Then it started falling apart.....
Big difference in Kia quality and Honda quality....no contest really, especially back then.
Originally Posted By: mikefxu
Originally Posted By: randomhero439
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
That has been my favorite accord body style. That accord, 4cyl, mt is probably the best car on the road for longevity for vehicles designed and built since y2k.
I beg to differ than V6 MT might be a bit better
I bought the 4 specifically due to the chain, lower maintenance cost. If I remember correctly the manual in the v6 was problematic.
True about the timing chain. The manual transmission in the V6 is superb, i personally know many people with the V6 car and havent had any probs with it. That being said, i know there is a small 3rd gear notchiness issue with some cars. However, i firmly believe the FWD honda 6-speed transmission is probably the best shifting FWD car out there.
I have driven my friends 4-cylinder 5-speed accord, same year as yours. It was nice, much peppier than i thought.
Originally Posted By: randomhero439
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
That has been my favorite accord body style. That accord, 4cyl, mt is probably the best car on the road for longevity for vehicles designed and built since y2k.
I beg to differ than V6 MT might be a bit better
I bought the 4 specifically due to the chain, lower maintenance cost. If I remember correctly the manual in the v6 was problematic.
True about the timing chain. The manual transmission in the V6 is superb, i personally know many people with the V6 car and havent had any probs with it. That being said, i know there is a small 3rd gear notchiness issue with some cars. However, i firmly believe the FWD honda 6-speed transmission is probably the best shifting FWD car out there.
I have driven my friends 4-cylinder 5-speed accord, same year as yours. It was nice, much peppier than i thought.
Originally Posted By: Miller88
But spark plugs and lack of timing belt are a major plus for the I4
Agreed on the chain vs belt. Spark plugs, however, took me about a half hour on our V6. They weren't bad to get at all, nothing to be removed.
Originally Posted By: thomasflaherty
Originally Posted By: cchase
Our 03 Accord has been the most rust-free vehicle I've come across. Not sure what they did on these but it works. Even the undercarriage is still shiny and black with just small rust on the welds themselves.
You should see my bothers has 2 03 accords green with clear coat problem and rotting to [censored] on the rear end and rear doors I worked for Honda 10 years never seen anything this bad Lives in massachusetts
Proof that you can ruin anything, I guess. I do notice this era with clear coat issues on the hood. Ours is waxed once a month or so, (less in winter) which must make a difference as the paint still looks great.
But spark plugs and lack of timing belt are a major plus for the I4
Agreed on the chain vs belt. Spark plugs, however, took me about a half hour on our V6. They weren't bad to get at all, nothing to be removed.
Originally Posted By: thomasflaherty
Originally Posted By: cchase
Our 03 Accord has been the most rust-free vehicle I've come across. Not sure what they did on these but it works. Even the undercarriage is still shiny and black with just small rust on the welds themselves.
You should see my bothers has 2 03 accords green with clear coat problem and rotting to [censored] on the rear end and rear doors I worked for Honda 10 years never seen anything this bad Lives in massachusetts
Proof that you can ruin anything, I guess. I do notice this era with clear coat issues on the hood. Ours is waxed once a month or so, (less in winter) which must make a difference as the paint still looks great.
You don't have to be a contortion artist to change the rear plugs? Last V6 FWD I changed them on was nearly impossible! It didn't seem to take that long, but was hard to get yourself in position to change them.
The only rust issues they seem to have here is on the hood and trunk.
The only rust issues they seem to have here is on the hood and trunk.
It's no longitudinal V8 of 20 years ago, and it's no 4-cylinder, but I didn't end up with skinned knuckles and no curse words were uttered.
Our MDX with the 3.5L V-6 was a cake-walk to change the rear plugs. The timing belt was pretty dadgum easy as well. Long job for sure, but far from hard. Building the confidence to actually DO the job is a lot harder than the job itself.
The longer I own our two cars (2005 MDX and 2008 CR-V), the more I appreciate how they were designed. It seems that Honda designs the cars for owners to maintain them. A co-worker of mine has a small SUV from a different company and he was complaining about all the splash shields and things he had to remove just to drain the coolant. He noted that his wife's CR-V has a small opening in the lower splash shield where you can stick your hand up and drain it without removing anything. He also had to replace the plugs in his SUV and had to remove the upper plastic intake manifold to get to the three rear plugs (transverse V-6).
Small stuff like that makes me appreciate ours more every day.
The longer I own our two cars (2005 MDX and 2008 CR-V), the more I appreciate how they were designed. It seems that Honda designs the cars for owners to maintain them. A co-worker of mine has a small SUV from a different company and he was complaining about all the splash shields and things he had to remove just to drain the coolant. He noted that his wife's CR-V has a small opening in the lower splash shield where you can stick your hand up and drain it without removing anything. He also had to replace the plugs in his SUV and had to remove the upper plastic intake manifold to get to the three rear plugs (transverse V-6).
Small stuff like that makes me appreciate ours more every day.
Originally Posted By: dblshock
lot of these with lower mi. for sale now.. $7-$11k the engine is really the same as a '14 and mpg. improvment is insignificant...older 2.4 is a great value.
I agree that the K24 is an excellent engine. In fact, it's demonstrably good; it was introduced nearly 15 years ago, and Honda is still using derivatives of it today.
The 2014 model's 2.4L engine is based on the 2.4L in your Accord, but I wouldn't say that it's the same. In fact, the airflow is completely reversed: your Accord has the intake manifold at the front and the exhaust manifold at the rear; Honda's new direct-injected 2.4L reverses that, with the exhaust at the front and the intake at the back. The block is certainly similar to the K24s of old, but the cylinder head is obviously very much different, with the very different fuel injection system and airflow routing.
lot of these with lower mi. for sale now.. $7-$11k the engine is really the same as a '14 and mpg. improvment is insignificant...older 2.4 is a great value.
I agree that the K24 is an excellent engine. In fact, it's demonstrably good; it was introduced nearly 15 years ago, and Honda is still using derivatives of it today.
The 2014 model's 2.4L engine is based on the 2.4L in your Accord, but I wouldn't say that it's the same. In fact, the airflow is completely reversed: your Accord has the intake manifold at the front and the exhaust manifold at the rear; Honda's new direct-injected 2.4L reverses that, with the exhaust at the front and the intake at the back. The block is certainly similar to the K24s of old, but the cylinder head is obviously very much different, with the very different fuel injection system and airflow routing.
Great car. Mine has been trouble free and still drives like new. Reliable, modestly entertaining with the 5-manual, efficient (31.2 mpg average over the last ~50k, 60/40 hwy/city), easy to maintain. My undercarriage also looks great; the paint has held up well with regular wash/wax (clear bra on the front). A manufacturing defect on the DR fenderwell caused sealant to separate from the metal in a 1/2 inch gap allowing the introduction of moisture and consequent rust blister. But POR15 and some Epoxy has cured that for now.
I occasionally get the itch for something new but soon realize that this car as is leaves me wanting for nothing substantial. Sure, and aux jack would be nice or better heat for the feet, but nothing worth the expense of a new vehicle.
If the itch gets really bad I just give it a light mod, or another coat of wax, a little love. Recently I added audio insulation to the door skins which really improved the sound quality from the stock system.
It is a marvel to me that the car drives now as good as it did when I drove it off the lot almost 9 years ago. Gotta bow to the engineers at Honda on that one.
I occasionally get the itch for something new but soon realize that this car as is leaves me wanting for nothing substantial. Sure, and aux jack would be nice or better heat for the feet, but nothing worth the expense of a new vehicle.
If the itch gets really bad I just give it a light mod, or another coat of wax, a little love. Recently I added audio insulation to the door skins which really improved the sound quality from the stock system.
It is a marvel to me that the car drives now as good as it did when I drove it off the lot almost 9 years ago. Gotta bow to the engineers at Honda on that one.
I have a little bit of rust forming on the inside bottom of the drivers door...don't know if there is much I can do about that.....any ideas? Other than that no rust except for a dime size patch on hood where previous owner never fixed a dinger
My beater car but rides nice. I'm getting ready to sink some money into it..... trans fluid change and there is some rattling going on under hood...could maybe use some new plugs as well. Not sure if water pump was changed..Im closing in on 140K on it
Avg about 33 mpg
Clutch seems low on these cars...meaning as I lift my foot off the clutch it grabs really quick...maybe a few inches...anyone else notice this?
My beater car but rides nice. I'm getting ready to sink some money into it..... trans fluid change and there is some rattling going on under hood...could maybe use some new plugs as well. Not sure if water pump was changed..Im closing in on 140K on it
Avg about 33 mpg
Clutch seems low on these cars...meaning as I lift my foot off the clutch it grabs really quick...maybe a few inches...anyone else notice this?
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Originally Posted By: Blue_Goose
I have a little bit of rust forming on the inside bottom of the drivers door...don't know if there is much I can do about that.....any ideas? Other than that no rust except for a dime size patch on hood where previous owner never fixed a dinger.
The POR15 works as advertised. http://www.por15.com/ The starter kit would be plenty, ~$20.
Quote:
My beater car but rides nice. I'm getting ready to sink some money into it..... trans fluid change and there is some rattling going on under hood...
Check the exhaust manifold heat shield for the rattle, back of engine.
Quote:
Clutch seems low on these cars...meaning as I lift my foot off the clutch it grabs really quick...maybe a few inches...anyone else notice this?
Have not noticed this, my engagement is rather high.
I have a little bit of rust forming on the inside bottom of the drivers door...don't know if there is much I can do about that.....any ideas? Other than that no rust except for a dime size patch on hood where previous owner never fixed a dinger.
The POR15 works as advertised. http://www.por15.com/ The starter kit would be plenty, ~$20.
Quote:
My beater car but rides nice. I'm getting ready to sink some money into it..... trans fluid change and there is some rattling going on under hood...
Check the exhaust manifold heat shield for the rattle, back of engine.
Quote:
Clutch seems low on these cars...meaning as I lift my foot off the clutch it grabs really quick...maybe a few inches...anyone else notice this?
Have not noticed this, my engagement is rather high.
Originally Posted By: Mykl
If I were to buy an Accord of this vintage where are the spots where rust tends to form? Are there any weak links that need to be inspected carefully before purchasing?
I know of no such weakness regarding rust. The paint is rather thin, though. So if you have multiple dings on the hood, rust could form there, but doubtful spread.
2003 was the 1st and weakest year for this generation, relatively speaking. The radio had a tsb issued. The screen would go dark. This happened on my 2004 at 107,000 miles, a 50/50 fix by Honda.
Some interior squeaks and rattles may pop up in cold weather, usually from the dash or rear shelf.
The rear brakes wear out fairly quickly according to some, though I have never had an issue.
Big components, no worries. The suspension is known to be rock solid, and the I4 (timing chain) and either transmission, bulletproof.
Get one that has been properly maintained and you will have many many trouble free miles.
If I were to buy an Accord of this vintage where are the spots where rust tends to form? Are there any weak links that need to be inspected carefully before purchasing?
I know of no such weakness regarding rust. The paint is rather thin, though. So if you have multiple dings on the hood, rust could form there, but doubtful spread.
2003 was the 1st and weakest year for this generation, relatively speaking. The radio had a tsb issued. The screen would go dark. This happened on my 2004 at 107,000 miles, a 50/50 fix by Honda.
Some interior squeaks and rattles may pop up in cold weather, usually from the dash or rear shelf.
The rear brakes wear out fairly quickly according to some, though I have never had an issue.
Big components, no worries. The suspension is known to be rock solid, and the I4 (timing chain) and either transmission, bulletproof.
Get one that has been properly maintained and you will have many many trouble free miles.
Originally Posted By: supton
Did you check behind the bubble, to make sure it wasn't coming through? That first pic looks like it was from paint damage on the outside; but the other pics make it look like rust going around the metal, behind where you can't see it.
Yes. I took the wheel off, stuck my head in the wheel-well, and looked around. There was a gap in the fender lip behind the rust bubble where metal and sealant were supposed to meet. There was a smaller gap further down and rust had formed on the lip itself. (see pics) Moisture entered through these gaps and the rust worked through, inside out. The lip was deformed from the factory, wrinkled, and I think the gaps were there from the beginning. The three other wheel-wells are perfectly fine. No rust whatsoever.
It was a very small area and the dremmel worked out the surface rust in seconds. There was a little pitting. I sealed the gaps with epoxy and after prepping the metal applied the POR15.
The lip is dirty in the post picture but I assure you no rust has returned.
Did you check behind the bubble, to make sure it wasn't coming through? That first pic looks like it was from paint damage on the outside; but the other pics make it look like rust going around the metal, behind where you can't see it.
Yes. I took the wheel off, stuck my head in the wheel-well, and looked around. There was a gap in the fender lip behind the rust bubble where metal and sealant were supposed to meet. There was a smaller gap further down and rust had formed on the lip itself. (see pics) Moisture entered through these gaps and the rust worked through, inside out. The lip was deformed from the factory, wrinkled, and I think the gaps were there from the beginning. The three other wheel-wells are perfectly fine. No rust whatsoever.
It was a very small area and the dremmel worked out the surface rust in seconds. There was a little pitting. I sealed the gaps with epoxy and after prepping the metal applied the POR15.
The lip is dirty in the post picture but I assure you no rust has returned.
Maybe see if you can get a mobile paint repair guy to spray/fix that area to make it look a little better. Afterwards, spray some Fluid Film on that area annually.
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